The present invention relates to a shipping pod adapted for use on the bottom of vending machines and other relatively large objects.
It is often necessary to move or relocate vending machines or other large and heavy objects, whether it be from the manufacturer to the customer, or from the customer to a service facility. In particular, vending machines generally have four bolt holes for securing four leveling feet to the bottom of the machine with threaded fasteners such as bolts. The leveling feet typically do not provide for stable support when the machine is placed on an uneven floor or transport rack without time consuming readjustment of the feet. Also, many transport racks do not have a continuous floor surface to support the leveling feet. Therefore, to facilitate transporting and storing the vending machine, the vending machine is lifted and the bolts holding the leveling feet in place are removed.
A wooden plank (generally a 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3 board with a length approximately the width of the vending machine) is sometimes used to provide a more stable footing for vending machines. Each wooden plank typically has two holes on the wider surface for receiving two corresponding bolts that hold the leveling feet in place on one side of the vending machine. The wooden plank is positioned so that each of the plank boles is over the bolt holes in the vending machine. The bolts are then threaded into the machine through the holes in the wooden plank thereby securing the wooden plank in place. A second wooden plank is then attached in a similar fashion to the remaining two bolt holes in the bottom of the vending machine. The vending machine with wooden planks attached is then lifted and placed on a wheeled rack for transport.
A first draw back of the prior art is that the height of the wooden planks typically does not allow fork lift tines to get underneath the vending machine to lift it, and therefore an overhead crane must be used to place the vending machine on the wheeled racks. Therefore, wheeled racks must be used to move the vending machine around the repair factory. Even if the fork lift tines are able to get underneath the machine, the fork lift would only be able to lift the vending machine from two out of the four sides because of the continuous length of the wooden planks.
A second drawback of the prior art is that the wooden planks are bulky and take up valuable factory space when they are not being used.
A third drawback of the prior art is that the wood planks are not durable and splinter and fall apart from repeated use and/or over tightening of the bolts and are subject to warpage and damage from exposure to water and other environmental conditions.
A fourth drawback of the prior art is that the wooden planks are not recyclable or re-usable.
Consequently, there is a need for a device which permits ease of transporting a vending machine. It should be durable, able to withstand varied environmental conditions, lightweight, reusable, recyclable, and easy to store when not in use.
It is a principal object according to the present invention to provide a shipping pod for vending machines which allows a forklift to lift a vending machine from all four directions.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a shipping pod for vending machines which is capable of stacking and nesting with a like shipping pod to provide more efficient storage.
It is yet another object to the present invention to provide a shipping pod for vending machines which is robust, rigid, and able to withstand repeated use and varied environmental conditions.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a shipping pod which is re-usable, and inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
Accordingly, a nestable shipping pod is provided for use on large objects such as vending machines having a bottom surface with a plurality of openings or bores for receiving a threaded member and an outside perimeter. The shipping pod includes a top wall for mating to the bottom surface of the large object. The top wall has an opening through which the threaded member is extended for attaching the shipping pod to the bottom surface of the large object. A perimeter wall extends downwardly and outwardly from the top wall. The perimeter wall has an exterior surface facing away from the top wall and interior surface facing inward. When like shipping pods are stacked, the interior surface of the upper shipping pod nests proximate the exterior surface of the lower shipping pod. The shipping pod preferably has an outer perimeter wall extending upwardly and outwardly from the perimeter wall. Further, the shipping pod may have a bottom wall which connects the perimeter wall and the outer perimeter wall.
In another embodiment, the shipping pod is provided and is adapted for use on vending machines having a bottom surface with at least one aperture to receive corresponding threaded members and an outside perimeter. This embodiment include includes a top wall for mating to the bottom surface of the vending machine. The top wall has a opening for receiving the threaded member for attaching the shipping pod to the bottom surface of the vending machine. An inner perimeter wall which extends downwardly and outwardly from the top wall. The inner perimeter wall has a bottom edge, an exterior surface facing away from the top wall, and interior surface facing inward. An outer perimeter wall is spaced apart from the inner perimeter wall and is attached to the inner perimeter wall. The two walls define a pocket. This embodiment has a bottom wall for connecting the inner perimeter wall and outer perimeter wall.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable shipping pod for use on relatively large objects having a bottom surface with a plurality of bores therein for receiving a threaded member and an outside perimeter is provided. The shipping pod includes a planar upper wall member for mating to the bottom surface of a vending machine. The upper wall member has an opening through which the threaded member is extended for attaching the shipping pod to the bottom of the vending machine. A sidewall member extends downwardly from the periphery of the upper wall member. The sidewall member and the upper wall member define a compartment. When in a stacked orientation, the compartment of the shipping pod receives the upper wall member of a second shipping pod.
The sidewall is preferably a double-wall construction having an inner wall member and an outer wall member. A bottom wall connects the inner wall member and the outer wall member, and provides a surface for resting upon a floor or other planar surface upon which the vending machine may be placed.
For each of the embodiments, the shipping pod also preferably includes a plurality of gussets between the inner wall member and the outer wall member to add rigidity and support to the shipping when it is under load. Each of the embodiments also preferably includes an anti-slip or anti-rotation portion cooperating with the top surface of the shipping pod, such as protrusions or a scuffed surface, to enhance contact to the bottom surface of the vending machine and prevent rotation. The shipping pod according to the present invention is preferably sized to extend the beyond the outside perimeter of the vending machine to prevent adjacent vending machines from bumping into each other during transportation or while in the factory. Still further, the top wall may further include an undersurface having ribs to deter bolt wear and to add strength and rigidity to the shipping pod. Additionally, the pod includes a handle, preferably contoured and formed on the outer perimeter wall to facilitate handling of the shipping pod.
In still another embodiment, the shipping pod includes a grommet in the opening to minimize the rotation of the shipping pod when installed on the large object or vending machine.
The above objects then other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals corresponds to like components.